The IIHF Women's World Championship top division tournament begins Wednesday in České Budějovice, Czechia. All games of the tournament will be broadcast on TSN in Canada and on NHL Network in the United States. The IIHF has a new streaming option, IIHF.tv, that's debuting at €10. The description does mention potential country blackouts, but it's unclear how that affects this tournament.
The 10 teams are divided into two, tiered, five-team groups in the Preliminary Round. After a single round-robin series in each group, the five teams from Group A and the best three teams from Group B advance to the Playoff Round. Full tournament information can be found here.
The Quarterfinals will be played between A1-B3, A2-B2, A3-B1, A4-A5.
The tournament kicks off Wednesday at 5:00 AM Eastern with Group B play between Germany and Sweden followed by two Group A matchups: Finland vs. USA at 9:00 AM Eastern and Czechia vs. Switzerland at 1:00 PM Eastern.
Team Canada
2024 finish: Gold; Danielle Serdachny scored on the power play in overtime to give Canada the 6-5 win and gold medal. Marie-Philip Poulin scored twice and Erin Ambrose, Julia Gosling and Emily Clark each added goals.
Forwards: Laura Stacey, Sarah Fillier, Brianne Jenner, Sarah Nurse, Natalie Spooner, Emily Clark, Emma Maltais, Marie-Philip Poulin, Blayre Turnbull, Kristin O'Neill, Julia Gosling, Danielle Serdachny, Jennifer Gardiner, Daryl Watts
Defense: Sophie Jaques, Jocelyne Larocque, Chloe Primerano, Renata Fast, Ella Shelton, Erin Ambrose, Micah Zandee-Hart, Claire Thompson
Goaltenders: Ève Gascon, Ann-Renée Desbiens, Kristen Campbell
Head coach: Troy Ryan returns. He'll be assisted by Kori Cheverie, Britni Smith and Caroline Ouellette on the team put together by general manager Gina Kingsbury.
Keep an eye on: Last year we pondered on how Canada would use their goalies because all three were outstanding with their individual PWHL teams. This year, goalies are still the question, but for totally different reasons. Ann-Renée Desbiens was injured in a game on March 18 and has been on long-term injured reserve ever since. Info from Hockey Canada says she's day-to-day and they believe she'll be back on the ice for this tournament, but I'd imagine she'll be eased in. In the meantime, Kristen Campbell had a rough start to her PWHL season and while things have evened out a bit, she's certainly not at her highest level or confidence. Generally, a newbie like Ève Gascon would not be expected to play in this first senior appearance, but it would be a really good idea to get her some experience. If it's ARD's knee (which I think it is), it's not her first injury there. I think it's important to keep in mind that the Olympics are 10 months away. Literally every personnel decision for every team that has qualified will be made with that in mind and here, it makes sense to get Gascon top-level minutes.
Goaltending is the biggest unknown for Canada, but I will also be watching to see if anyone fills the role of extra skater like Jamie Lee Rattray did. I'm usually against roster nitpicking, but I'll be interested to see if someone can take on that role. Canada used her in so many different ways and she was successful despite how often where she was needed changed. She gave them a spark and still scored regardless of how she was used. It's hard for me to imagine their success without a player that can match her energy and output in that way.
The newbies. Maybe the biggest thing that the group of six newcomers bring collectively is playmaking. There's the dynamic puck-handling and nose for goal-scoring of Daryl Watts, the way Sophie Jaques can play a hybrid defender position and gets the puck to the net and how well Jenn Gardiner has slotted alongside Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey on the Victoire's top line, just to start.
How are they going to do?: On the one hand I find it difficult to pick against them, but on the other, there are a lot of question marks and unknowns. When Canada is at its best, they have the advantage, but I think it's fair to say that at this moment, we don't know if this is Canada at its best. So many players are still recovering and working to regain form after injury that it makes it difficult to to know what the group looks like as a whole right now.
Team USA
2024 finish: Silver; They lost a heartbreaker in overtime in what was likely the best game we've ever seen at this level.
Forwards: Alex Carpenter, Jesse Compher, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Britta Curl-Salemme, Joy Dunne, Lacey Eden, Taylor Heise, Tessa Janecke, Hilary Knight, Abbey Murphy, Kelly Pannek, Hayley Scamurra, Kirsten Simms, Grace Zumwinkle
Defense: Cayla Barnes, Laila Edwards, Savannah Harmon, Caroline Harvey, Megan Keller, Anna Wilgren, Haley Winn
Goaltenders: Aerin Frankel, Ava McNaughton, Gwyneth Philips
Head coach: John Wroblewski took over the team just before the World Championships in August 2022 and has had the role ever since.
Keep an eye on: While there's so much offensive firepower on this squad, the defense might be the game-changer. Lee Stecklein returns after two years away from the national team. There's simply not many shut-down and steady defenders better than her. She brings reliability and poise and an experience that USA can really use. She's a great mentor for Laila Edwards, who moved back to defense. Last year's MVP, she made a massive impact playing just 10 minutes a game. She'll get more ice time on the blue line, which was the impetus of the move, but it's definitely going to be interesting to see her defense against the top players and also if she can balance solid defending with still being an offensive threat.
Harvey is still just 21 and a junior in college, but is inarguably one of the best defenders in the world and possibly the best overall at this tournament with Jenni Hiirikoski out for Finland. She's tough to beat and even better at recovering when someone does get by her. Add in a forward's playmaking ability, a massive shot, a newfound patience for making the correct shot or pass and an ability to pick her spot and snipe the puck and she's just an unreal asset.
It's clear looking back that Hilary Knight was not playing at her best last season and yet she tied with Alex Carpenter and Caroline Harvey for most points on the team with 10. Now in much better form, she's leading the PWHL with 28 points and looking closer to her peak form than retiring at 35 years of age. She's joined by Alex Carpenter, who tied with teammate Edwards for the tournament lead with 6 goals last year.
Abbey Murphy is the player everyone hates playing against and everyone loves playing with. She's a pest and a menace and will get under players' skin and then also score some of the most ridiculous goals you'll see. She was paired with Tessa Janecke last year and the two worked really well together. Murphy is at her best when she's moving the puck through the zone and identifying lanes. The US don't want her to be static.
How are they going to do?: The presumption is that it will be USA vs. Canada for the gold medal here. Canada won in OT last year off a power play from a too many skaters penalty. There's so much history and so much talent and I'm not sure that there's ultimately any true rhyme or reason as to who pulls out ahead in the end. I find it hard not to think of the first Rivalry Series game where the US team dominated by collegians who were already in season dominated the group of pros who were still ramping up. Seven of the nine collegians on this roster were in the Frozen Four three weeks ago. They've had some time to recover, but are basically at their peak right now. And the veterans are in as good a form as they've been in awhile. That combined with the Canada injuries tends to make me lean the US' way, but ultimately I'm not sure logic or rationale really play all that much into it.
Team Finland
2024 finish: Bronze; They won a tight and hard-fought game against Czechia in a shootout. It was a massive comeback in comparison to their 4-0 loss to the Czechs in the preliminary round. Michelle Karvinen and Viivi Vainikka scored in regulation and then Karvinen and Petra Nieminen scored in the shootout give Finland the win.
Forwards: Elisa Holopainen, Sanni Vanhanen, Petra Nieminen, Jenniina Nylund, Ida Kouoppala, Julia Schalin, Viivi Vainikka, Emma Ekoluoma, Emilia Vesa, Michalle Karvinen, Sofianna Sundelin, Noora Tulus, Susanna Tapani, Julia Liikala
Defense: Siiri Yrjölä, Sanni Rantala, Elli Suoranta, Nelli Laitinen, Oona Koukkula, Krista Parkkonen, Ada Eronen, Ronja Savolainen,
Goaltenders: Sanni Ahola, Emilia Kyrkkö, Anni Keisala
Head coach: Juuso Toivola was an assistant on this team for about eight years before he took over the head coaching job from longtime coach Pasi Mustonen in early 2022.
Keep an eye on: With Jenni Hiirikoski out for the first time since many of these players made the team, there has to be a renewed push on defense. There are several really talented scorers on this squad, but the Finns don't want to get into a shootout with anyone in Group A. To some extent I'm not sure how much they've had to focus on defense, that's how solid and reliable Hiirikoski has been. Ronja Savolainen and Nelli Laintinen to lead the blueliners.
In the Finns favor, they also have Sanni Ahola in net. She has long been a massive force for them for years at this point. Emilia Kyrkkö joined her at St. Cloud State and managed to stand out on her own as a freshman, making some massive saves and showing that Finland is absolutely stacked in the crease.
With a solid back end, they do have to make a push to put more pucks in the net and be more consistent. They scored just 15 goals in seven games last year and while they obviously made their objective of finishing on the podium, the next step is being able to be more competitive in each of their games. They scored three on the US in the preliminary round, but were held scoreless against them in the semifinal. They were also scoreless against Czechia and scored just once on Canada in prelims. In the bronze medal game, Klára Peslarová was outstanding for Czechia, but Finland put 48 shots on goal and scored just twice. They have to do better than that.
They'll be looking to Petra Nieminen and Michelle Karvinen to lead the offense and Susanna Tapani has also had a strong season in the PWHL. Sanni Vanhanen is also committed to Ohio State and had an immediate impact at the senior level. Also keep an eye out for Emma Ekoluoma, who was the breakout star of the 2024 U18 Worlds in Zug, Switzerland.
How are they going to do?: Last year we said this was a roster poised to show improvement and it paid off in the team's first bronze since 2021. The impact of loss of Hiirikoski to illness cannot be understated, but they're returning most of the roster from last season and have added a couple of really key, impact pieces. Add in that they'll likely be fighting Czechia again for the third spot and the Czechs are both in mind of revenge from last season but also the host country in front of friendly crowds and determined to show well and I it's definitely going to be a tough ask for Finland to repeat their performance. I expect them to end up fourth.
Team Czechia
2024 finish: Fourth. They lost a tight bronze medal to Finland. Michaela Pejzlová and Denisa Křížová scored in regulation, but only Klára Hymlárová was able to score in the shootout.
Forwards: Kateřina Mrázová, Tereza Vanišová, Barbora Juříčková, Klára Hymlárová, Denisa Křížová, Kristýna Kaltounková, Natálie Mlýnková, Noemi Neubauerová, Michaela Pejzlová, Tereza Pištěková, Tereza Plosová, Hana Haasová, Vendula Přibylová, Adéla Šapovalivová
Defense: Daniela Pejšová, Klára Seroiszková, Sára Čajanová, Karolína Kosinová, Tereza Radová, Andrea Trnková, Aneta Tejralová, Dominika Lásková
Goaltenders: Michaela Hesová, Klára Peslarová, Blanka Škodová, Viktorie Švejdová
Head coach: Carla MacLeod has been head coach of Team Czechia since Worlds in 2022.
Keep an eye on: Scoring. Only two players scored more than one goal in 2024. Natálie Mlýnková lead the team with four goals and two assists. Daniela Pejšová had two goals. Seven other players each had one goal. That kind of distribution is great, as is getting scoring from the blue line. And they look to be even deeper this year. Tereza Vanišová has found her footing in the PWHL and is having a massive year, having already tallied two hat tricks. Her 15 goals are second in the league, behind only MPP. Kristýna Kaltounková was a standout at Colgate but is getting her first shot at the senior national team. She is a big, physical forward that can take off in transition. She adds another dimension to their attack and her physicality - if she can toe the line correctly and not get called for it a bunch - should be a big bonus against the US and Canada.
Adéla Šapovalivová is just 18, but playing in her fourth senior World Championships. A Wisconsin commit, Šapovalivová was SDHL Rookie of the Year two years ago with MoDo and led them in scoring this year with 36 points and 15 goals. Tereza Plosová is also 18 and is a Minnesota commit who had 17 goals and 26 points with Djurgårdens. Both were U18 standouts who quickly slotted in with the senior squad and have the ability to score from most anywhere on the ice.
Klára Peslarová was outstanding at last year's tournament after missing a year to injury. She always gives her team a shot to win and allows their defenders to push forward. It cannot be understated what a massive boon it is for Czechia to have her in net.
How are they going to do?: This team is gunning to play in the gold medal game on home soil. Their U18s upset Canada in the semifinals in 2024, they've put so much into growing their women's program overall and they really, really want to make a point and prove women's hockey doubters in Czechia wrong by getting a big win when their whole country is paying attention. Their federation has gone big on hosting this tournament and the pressure is on to medal at the very least. After winning bronze in 2022 and 2023, they were off the podium last year. They have to not let the pressure get to them, particularly since I think a lot of it is self-imposed. They feel the weight of proving people wrong and not letting this opportunity slip through their fingers. They have a young, energetic and really talented team that is still experienced. They showed massive growth on defense and in an ability to play a full 60 minutes (or more) against Group A teams. I really think they can meet the moment here and if I were the US and Canada, I'd be pretty concerned about playing them. I have Czechia finishing third, but also think they very much have the ability to topple one of the giants and play for that top step of the podium.
Team Switzerland
2024 finish: Fifth; Defeated Germany 3-2 in overtime in the placement game. Alina Müller scored twice, including the game-winner in extra time. Lara Stalder had the third goal.
Forwards: Leoni Balzer, Rahel Enzler, Mara Frey, Naemi Herzig, Sinja Leemann, Alina Marti, Alina Müller, Kaleigh Quennec, Noemi Ryhner, Lisa Rüedi, Vanessa Schaefer, Lara Stalder, Ivana Wey, Laura Zimmermann
Defense: Alessia Baechler, Lara Christen, Elena Gaberell, Laure Mériguet, Alena Lynn Rossel, Shannon Sigrist, Nicole Vallario, Stefanie Wetli
Goaltenders: Andrea Brändli, Saskia Maurer, Monja Wagner
Head coach: Colin Muller returns for another year.
Keep an eye on: Depth. It's the thing that has plagued them for years. It's a shame because they have two of the top forwards in the world, but they cannot do it all themselves. Change could be coming as they bring in some of the talent from the U18 squad. Coach Muller is usually a part of the entourage at that tournament, Ivana Wey (Northeastern) and Naemi Herzig (Holy Cross) are committed to join the NCAA. Both were outstanding at U18s and are looking to make the jump and bring so much-needed fresh energy to this team.
The Swiss scored just seven goals while allowing 23. Andrea Brändli has long been solid for them, but she needs help and the team has to get better at being able to possess the puck and keep it out of the zone for longer stretches. There's an interesting mix of players on defense this go round, including 16-year-old Laure Mériguet.
How are they going to do?: Until they find players not named Lara Stalder and Alina Müller to regularly score, I don't know how they can be more than a one note team. On the one hand, absolute kudos to Switzerland for holding on strong in Group A year after year. They regularly do just enough to hold on to that fifth spot. On the other, the teams in Group B keep getting better. Germany gave them all they could handle last year and I'm not sure how long Switzerland can keep holding anyone off. It's been difficult to talk with coach Muller year in and out as he expresses frustration with how shallow the pool is women's players in Switzerland is and how stagnant that makes his program. He and the team want better, but they aren't supported and growth has been slow. I fear this is the year they slide down to Group B.